So You Want Your Friend to Officiate Your Wedding

So You Want Your Friend to Officiate Your Wedding

That is fantastic! There is nothing more personal for a wedding ceremony than a friend or relative that you have known most of life performing your ceremony. Let’s discuss the pros and cons to this gift.

Pros to a Friend or Relative Performing the Ceremony

1. Personal, history, and comfort level. This person knows you both really well and that makes it so easy to create a ceremony together. The know the history of you and your fiance and speak about this in the ceremony. You have a real comfort level with this person and that will make the ceremony easier.

2. Free of charge. Hopefully they are providing this as a gift, but if there are any expenses that they are occurring, etiquette says that you must reimburse them or pay for these items.

Cons to a Friend or Relative Performing the Ceremony

1. Are they legal to perform ceremonies in your state. So they decided to fill out that little form online and maybe even paid $20 to get ordained. Many states, counties and towns will not recognize these forms of ordination.

2. Creating the ceremony. There is an incredible knowledge and ability to an official officiant with the wording of a ceremony. What you are paying for with a professional is the writing talent. A good officiant can write a ceremony that guests want to listen to and are eager for the next part.

3. Crossing the lines. When you hire a professional officiant, they work for you and your fiance. You have the ability to say to them what you want them to wear, what to arrive and what you want them to say and not. Friends and relatives are not professionals (unless if they do this job professionally).

What are your options:

1. Hire a professional to perform your ceremony

2. You decided to have a friend or relative perform the ceremony anyways. Hudson Valley Ceremonies has a solution. The Friend Officiates Package. One of our legal officiants comes to your venue before or after the ceremony and takes care of the legal paperwork. That’s it! So simple.